Udall, Tester Amendments Will Supercharge Momentum for Constitutional Reform After Citizens United
June 18, 2013
Udall, Tester Amendments Will Supercharge Momentum for Constitutional Reform After Citizens United
Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen
Democracy as the American people understand it cannot long survive the Citizens United decision and the notion that corporations should have the same constitutional rights as real, live, breathing human beings.
The good news is, the American people are refusing to accept the corporate takeover of our politics and country.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have called for a constitutional amendment to restore our democracy, as have nearly 500 cities and towns across the country.
Now come U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to supercharge the momentum for constitutional reform. The Udall amendment would establish that the government has the right to regulate campaign spending, wiping away decisions including Citizens United that block Congress and the states from imposing fair spending rules for elections, the pillar of our democracy. The Tester amendment aims to constitutionalize the simple and widely embraced notion that “Corporations Are Not People.”
Public Citizen celebrates these bold efforts to amend our Constitution to restore our democracy. Thanks to the leadership of Senators Udall and Tester, along with other congressional champions, the day is not long away when Americans will amend our Constitution to reaffirm the fundamental tenet that “Democracy Is For People.”
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